All Topics  
Natural fiber

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Natural fiber
 
 
  Topics Natural fiber Topic Home

Fibers or fibres (see spelling differences) is a class of hair-like material
Material

Materials are substances or components with certain physical properties which are used as inputs to Production, costs, and pricing or manufacturing....
s that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to pieces of thread
Yarn

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking....
. They can be spun into filaments, thread, or rope
Rope

A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength ....
. They can be used as a component of composite
Composite material

Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure....
 materials. They can also be matted into sheets to make products such as paper
Paper

Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
 or felt
Felt

Felt is a non-weave cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials....
. Fibers are of two types: natural fiber and man made or synthetic fiber
Synthetic fiber

Synthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by scientists to improve upon naturally occurring animal and plant. In general, synthetic fibers are created by forcing, usually through extrusion, fiber forming materials through holes into the air, forming a thread....
.

ral fibers are made from plant, animal and mineral sources.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Natural fiber'
Start a new discussion about 'Natural fiber'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Fibers or fibres (see spelling differences) is a class of hair-like material
Material

Materials are substances or components with certain physical properties which are used as inputs to Production, costs, and pricing or manufacturing....
s that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to pieces of thread
Yarn

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibers, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking....
. They can be spun into filaments, thread, or rope
Rope

A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength ....
. They can be used as a component of composite
Composite material

Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure....
 materials. They can also be matted into sheets to make products such as paper
Paper

Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
 or felt
Felt

Felt is a non-weave cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials....
. Fibers are of two types: natural fiber and man made or synthetic fiber
Synthetic fiber

Synthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by scientists to improve upon naturally occurring animal and plant. In general, synthetic fibers are created by forcing, usually through extrusion, fiber forming materials through holes into the air, forming a thread....
.

Sources of natural fibers

Natural fibers are made from plant, animal and mineral sources. Natural fibers can be classified according to their origin.

Vegetable fibers

Vegetable fiber
Fiber crop

Fiber crops are field crops grown for their fibers, which are traditionally used to make paper, cloth, or rope. The fibers may be chemically modified, like in viscose or cellophane....
s are generally comprised mainly of cellulose
Cellulose

File:Cellulose Sessel.svgCellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand ? linked D-glucose units....
: examples include cotton
Cotton

Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
, jute
Jute

Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, family Tiliaceae....
, flax
Flax

Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean region to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent....
, ramie
Ramie

Ramie is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1 - 2.5 m tall; the leaf are heart-shaped, 7-15 cm long and 6-12 cm broad, and white on the underside with dense small hairs - this gives it a silvery appearance; unlike nettles, the hairs do not sting....
, sisal
SISAL

SISAL is a general-purpose single assignment functional programming language programming language with strict semantics, implicit parallelism, and efficient array handling....
, and hemp
Cannabis sativa

Cannabis sativa is an annual plant in the Cannabaceae family. It is a herb that has been used throughout recorded history by humans as a source of fiber, for its seed oil, as food , as a drug , as medicine , and for spiritual purposes ....
. Cellulose fibers serve in the manufacture of paper
Paper

Paper is thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon or packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
 and cloth. This fiber can be further categorized into the following:
  • Seed fiber: Fibers collected from seeds or seed cases. e.g. cotton
    Cotton

    Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa....
     and kapok
    Kapok

    Kapok is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae , native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, northern South America, and to tropical west Africa....
  • Leaf fiber: Fibers collected from leaves. e.g. sisal
    SISAL

    SISAL is a general-purpose single assignment functional programming language programming language with strict semantics, implicit parallelism, and efficient array handling....
     and agave
    Agave

    Agave is a succulent plant plant of a large botanical genus of the same name, belonging to the family Agavaceae....
    .
  • Bast fiber or skin fiber: Fibers are collected from the skin or bast surrounding the stem of their respective plant. These fibers have higher tensile strength than other fibers. Therefore, these fibers are used for durable yarn, fabric, packaging, and paper. Some examples are flax
    Flax

    Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean region to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent....
    , jute
    Jute

    Jute is a long, soft, shiny vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from plants in the genus Corchorus, family Tiliaceae....
    , kenaf
    Kenaf

    Kenaf [Etymology: Persian], Hibiscus cannabinus, is a plant in the Malvaceae family. Hibiscus cannabinus is in the genus Hibiscus and is probably native to southern Asia, though its exact natural origin is unknown....
    , industrial hemp
    Hemp

    File:Industrialhemp.jpgHemp is the common name for plants of the entire genus Cannabis, although the term is often used to refer only to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial use....
    , ramie
    Ramie

    Ramie is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1 - 2.5 m tall; the leaf are heart-shaped, 7-15 cm long and 6-12 cm broad, and white on the underside with dense small hairs - this gives it a silvery appearance; unlike nettles, the hairs do not sting....
    , rattan
    Rattan

    Rattan , is the name for the roughly 600 species of Arecaceae in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia....
    , soybean
    Soybean

    The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a Pulse . It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs....
     fiber, and even vine
    Vine

    A vine is any plant of genus Grape or, by extension, any similar climbing or trailing plant. The word, derived from Latin vinea, referred to the grape-bearing variety....
     fibers and banana
    Banana

    File:Banana and cross section.jpgBanana is the common name for a fruit and also the herbaceous plants of the genus Musa which produce this commonly eaten fruit....
     fibers.
  • Fruit fiber: Fibers are collected from the fruit of the plant, e.g. coconut (coir) fiber.
  • Stalk fiber: Fibers are actually the stalks of the plant. E.g. straws of wheat, rice, barley, and other crops including bamboo
    Bamboo

    The bamboos are a group of woody perennial plant evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae....
     and grass. Tree wood is also such a fiber.


The most used natural fibers are cotton, flax and hemp, although sisal, jute, kenaf, and coconut are also widely used.

Hemp fibers are mainly used for ropes and aerofoils because of their high suppleness and resistance within an aggressive environment. Hemp fibers are, for example, currently used as a seal within the heating and sanitary industries.

Animal fibers

Animal fiber
Animal fiber

Animal fibers are natural fibers that consist largely of particular proteins. Instances are silk, hair/fur and feathers. The most commonly used type of animal fiber is hair....
s generally comprise proteins; examples include silk
Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Pupa#Cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity ....
, wool
Wool

Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells, called follicles, of animals in the Caprinae family, principally domestic sheep, but the hair of certain species of other Mammalia such as cashmere goat, llamas, rabbits and keeshonds may also be called wool....
, angora
Angora wool

Angora wool or Angora fiber refers to the downy coat produced by the Angora rabbit. While their names are similar, Angora fiber is distinct from mohair, which comes from the Angora goat....
, mohair
Mohair

Mohair usually refers to a silk-like textile or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. The word "mohair" was adopted into English before 1570 from the Arabic language mukhayyar, a type of haircloth, literally 'choice', from khayyara, 'he chose'....
 and alpaca
Alpaca

The Alpaca is a Domestication species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of to meters above sea-level, throughout the year....
.

  • Animal hair (wool or hairs): Fiber or wool
    Wool

    Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells, called follicles, of animals in the Caprinae family, principally domestic sheep, but the hair of certain species of other Mammalia such as cashmere goat, llamas, rabbits and keeshonds may also be called wool....
     taken from animals or hairy mammals. e.g. sheep's wool, goat hair (cashmere
    Cashmere

    Cashmere may refer to:* Cashmere wool, wool from the Cashmere goatPlaces* Another term for Kashmir, a territory between India and Pakistan...
    , mohair
    Mohair

    Mohair usually refers to a silk-like textile or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. The word "mohair" was adopted into English before 1570 from the Arabic language mukhayyar, a type of haircloth, literally 'choice', from khayyara, 'he chose'....
    ), alpaca hair, horse hair, etc.
  • Silk fiber: Fiber collected from dried saliva of bugs or insects during the preparation of cocoon
    Pupa

    A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in Holometabolism insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago....
    s. Examples include silk
    Silk

    Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Pupa#Cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity ....
     from


.
  • Avian fiber: Fibers from birds, e.g. feather
    Feather

    Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates....
    s and feather fiber.


Industrial use of natural fibers


After World War II, the build-up of synthetic fibers significantly decreased the use of natural fibers. Now, with the increase of oil prices and environmental considerations, there has been a revival of natural fiber use within the textile, building, plastic and automotive industries. This interest is reinforced by the developmental perspectives on the agro-industrial market and local productions, allowing economic development and independence versus imported materials.

France remains the greatest European hemp fiber producer with 50,000 tons yearly (EU 100,000 tons). France also produces the largest range of industrial seeds worldwide. China and Russia are also important producers, but the statistics in that field are not available.

In the industrial domain, the consortium DAIFA group SAS have reached a leading position in Europe in the automotive plastics market. They specialize in injection and thermopress plastics reinforced with natural fibers.

The use of natural fibers at the industrial level improves the environmental sustainability of the parts being constructed, especially within the automotive market. Within the building industry, the interest in natural fibers is mostly economical and technical; natural fibers allow insulation properties higher than current materials.

See also

  • Fiber
    Fiber

    Fiber or fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of yarn. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissue s together....
  • International Year of Natural Fibres 2009


External links

Classification of natural fibers and list of bast fibers.